The quick announcement and groundbreaking of this Rs2.3 billion project is an example of poor governance and disastrous and uncoordinated urban planning.

Ferozepur Road is one of Lahore’s most-travelled-on and heavily congested roads. In the late 1990s, then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif also commissioned a road-widening project on Ferozepur Road, which included the remodelling of Kalma Chowk. Just a decade later and proof of the fact that road widening doesn’t solve traffic congestion is the mess that is the Kalma Chowk crossing. But does this traffic jam justify the expenditure of such a large portion of the province’s estimated development expenditure for 2010-2011?

The Punjab government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are currently undertaking a $2.5 million survey of the traffic in Lahore, for the purposes of a transport master plan for the city. Does it make sense to commission the Kalma Chowk underpass when the final results of this study are still awaited? The government is already in the middle of a messy resettlement plan for the community that will be displaced by the development of the Bhatta Chowk interchange (the road that will take the rich from DHA to the airport) and seems to be unable to complete the Multan Road redevelopment project (the delays to which are reaching scandalous proportions). What, after all, is the reason for pushing this particular project through at this particular time?

The Punjab government also appears to be unaware of the law of the land. Under the Pakistan Environment Protection Act, 1997 (PEPA) and the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Review of IEE/EIA) Regulations, 2000, proponents of projects likely to have an adverse effect on the environment and, specifically, road development projects in excess of Rs50 million are required to submit an environment impact assessment (EIA) of the project and obtain environment approval thereof, from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), after a public hearing. Failure to do so is an offence under the PEPA and renders government officials personally liable.

In 2008, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency issued an environment protection order (EPO) under the PEPA, directing the Capital Development Authority to stop all work on the Zero Point Interchange. The reason: The CDA had not filed an EIA for the project and was in violation of the law. Earlier, the Communication & Works Department (C&W) of the Punjab government was held to have violated the provisions of the PEPA when it undertook the construction of the Mall Road underpass in 2003 (Complaint No. 76/2003 titled Sumera Awan vs Government of Pakistan). Though no penalties were imposed, the C&W Department was given a warning by the Environment Protection Tribunal, Lahore. The warning does not appear to have made any difference: The C&W Department has begun construction of the Kalma Chowk underpass without an EIA. Under the PEPA, repeat offenders can actually go to jail.

Not five years ago, the Planning and Development department of the Punjab government proposed a Rapid Mass Transit solution for Lahore. It consisted of several lines to be developed for the purposes of rapid mass transit. Ferozepur Road was where one of the first lines was to be constructed. One wonders if the design of the Kalma Chowk underpass makes provision for a rapid mass Transit line because, if not, the money spent on the feasibility of that project will have gone to waste.

One of the features of the Kalma Chowk underpass, as reported by the secretary C&W Department, is that it will have provision for a bus rapid transit system. This is interesting seeing as Kalma Chowk is an important junction and buses will not benefit from the overpass because their stops will be at ground level.

Coming to the merits of the project itself, it is by now universally understood that expanding road infrastructure in cities does not solve traffic congestion. Investment in public transport (and removal of private automobiles from roads) is the only long-term solution. Three years ago, the Punjab government launched the Lahore Transport Company with the promise to import some 1,300 buses into the city within three years. Well, it’s been three years and no such buses have been imported. Meanwhile, the Lahore Transport Company continues to pay salaries to its many officers and employees. The construction of the Kalma Chowk overpass excuses the failure by the Punjab government to adopt any long-term public transport alternatives. This should not be so and taxpayers should be informed of the reasons why no public transport is being provided, as promised.

The joint JICA-Punjab government study of traffic in Lahore recently presented its preliminary findings. What was most interesting was the fact that Lahore does not have more than 400,000 cars (the figure of 2.2 million given by the Excise & Taxation Department is for cars registered and does not provide for cars that no longer ply the road). If these results are accurate, then it means that immense amounts of public funds are being diverted for the benefit of an extremely small segment of Lahore society. This is unfair, undemocratic and environmentally unsound (it’s the cars that cause the congestion and pollution).

It is very difficult to understand why this project is being undertaken at this place, at this time. It may definitely speed up the commute for many of the residents of Model Town or Garden Town. But it will have little impact on the 40 per cent of the city that commutes to work on foot. However, by not following the law, by ignoring good urban planning practices, by not coordinating with its various departments, this decision of the Punjab government will be nothing but a blot on the future of this already blighted city.

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Reader Comments (47)

good understanding of the law but does the 170 out of 180 million people do really care about this or even know about these things? They will just dig the roads as soon so the procedure starts from where a lot of people get their pockets full. Not being negative but I know the inside story pretty much. Recommend

The underpass at ferozepur road is a neccasity.This article has nothing substantial and the writer seems predetermined in his mind from the initial paragraph calling it Bad governance.

Kalma chowk is the busiest intersection with the highest trafic volume in lahore city.we must make it signal free sooner the better.Millions of vehicle minutes will be saved per day by lahoris and kasurites.

Kalma chowk has no green trees unlike canal road and making underpass is the need of the hour.Road management will require another underpass at muslim town chowk very soon.

Lets begin making lahore signal free. Long live democracy and long live our leaders.Recommend

Thanks Rafay for bringing this issues!
Our policy makers always reinvent the wheels. Urban planning paradigms is changed all around the world by giving more focus on mass transit projects and in many cities the bike routes are being constructed to avoid pollution and fossil fuel consumption. But we are still planning our towns for cars or car owners. There is no place of people in the space of our elite.Mian Sb is very fond of ‘jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai’. He still believes that Lahore road expansion in his previous tenure increased his party’s vote bank.Recommend

We are still stuck in the industrial age thinking of bigger and wider is better. As if the solution to all our ills is in inconceived projects, that benefit the few and disproportionatly negatively effect the weakest parts of our society. Must we repeat the same mistakes that other countries have already made? Recommend

The project on Kalma Chowk is not a necessity. The Ferozpur road is one of the widest road in Lahore and is almost 6 lane. Even if you build a flyover and an underpass on this road the traffic problem will still remain due to bottle necks being created on the road. By making these roads we are just shifting the problem from one area to another area. Even if you make a 10lane road, in two years time that road will pose the same problem that it is not enough. Transportation management is not about building roads, it is about effective management of the traffic. With the same amount the Government could provide citizens of Lahore with a Public transport system. Majority of the routes of public vans on Ferozpur road an in the city have been cancelled due to the fact that Lahore transport company will start bus service on these routes. Three years have passed only 40 buses are on road.
Coming to the fact of time saving, the underpasses on Lahore Canal just reduced the travelling time from Mugahalpura to thokar niaz baig by 7minutes only. Recommend

@Saifullah. You and your friends are a minuscule group of people for whom the state is spending such huge funds. Mr Rafay just provided an eye poping figure that there are only 400,000 cars on the streets of lahore but 40% of the people go to work on foot. Just to save few minutes of your time you guys are willing to back a project which takes away money from already crushed, kicked and bruised working class? 40% of lahore’s population comes out to 4 million people. Do the math, does it make sense to spend this much money on an underpass or public transport system? The already bankrupt Punjab government is going to spend money, which it does not have, to make sure that few rich people in their luxury cars can go smoothly over and under the kalma chowk. I am at loss of words here. Recommend

I couldn’t understand whats the argument here…the under pass, traffic jams, poor governance, corrupt Punjab government or what ..? If underpass is not the solution then whats the alternative??? Mass transit schemes are far fetched ideas in countries like ours much talked about but never implementedRecommend

While I appreciate the need to follow procedures and do an environmental study on the overpass, few doubt the need for its construction. I am sure most people will welcome this addition which will smooth the flow of traffic.Recommend

A city where 400,000 cars are on roads & 40% people are vehicleless, a city that falls in a financially sick province; who would vote for huge spendings on roads over better public transport system???Recommend

Rafay, you are not making sense. Not everybody can and wants to commute on bicylces as you have started to do in the name of revolution particularly. Various modes of transports are there in every civilization and society. Every person is allowed to choose a mode of trasport which suits him or her according to one’s budget and requirements. I will only take one point of yours at the moment which is “Shehbaz Sharif’s widening of roads”. That project could only reach at the point of Shah Jamal chowk when musharrf couped and halted all the development work. When you come from canal towards Ichhra, suddenly life seems squeezed and jammed when Shah Jamal signal reaches, reason? Road could not be widened. Otherwise on all the ferozepur road, one can easily ride any trasport but to ride a vehicle between Shah Jamal and Mozang is an uphill task. Don’t try to make laws of Physics wrong.
You are talking about public transport, you have been studying in US, would you like to ponder how much, Americans want to travel by public tranport?
Please don’t blame Shehbaz Sharfi for developing Punjab.Recommend

as i assume from the comments above that people dont care about envirnoment and impact of such development on envirnoment in gernal and historical prespective of city in particular .

Khadim Punjab and his brother wont care how much money they spend after all i suppose most of it will go back into their own pockets in one way or other through construction companies bla bla.. they don’t pay tax so why would they feel pain for such a huge spending .
Big Bro has paid 5000 in taxes so i suppose he wants many many fold return on such a huge contribution to national treasury .
Sick of such narrow minded freaking politicians of PPP,PML(N) etc …Recommend

Urban planning is a cohesive and all inclusive process. On our urban arteries, we have such bottle necks on every 500 meter, so should we have overheads all around? Not at all, find an integrated solution, not adhocism and peicemeal development. Improved traffic management/regulations & some restrictions on single user vehicles would definitely address the problem to maximum. Putting infrastructure on infrastructure shall not suffice. Furthermore, doing such public projects on war footing never appreciated, it requires investigating nature & extent of problem, proper pre-studies, solution evolution, engineering design, environmental considerations (such as EIA), stakeholders consultation (including general public as a major stakeholder), considering alternatives and then going on ground by engaging contractors as per Public Procurement Laws. ThanksRecommend

Perhaps these “anti-progress ultra rich of Lahore”,who hiding behind eco-issues can suggest a new way of transporting 80 million people a day. This “property centric group” has already been complacent in the death and crippling of hundreds of commuters of Canal Road. They are the reason why Canal Road is just a crooked road and not a proper ExpresswayRecommend

Urban Planning is a cohesive and all integrated process and does not suggest adhoc decision. On our urban arteries, we have such bottle necks on every 500 meters. Should we have flyovers all around?. An integrated solution be adopted with improved traffic management and some restrictions on single user vehicles and this will sufficiently address the issue. Doing such public projects on war footings is never advised. This requires, investigating nature and extent of problem, detailed pre- studies, situational analysis, evolving concept design / planning, evaluating project in conformation Lahore Master Plan and JICA studies (as we have already spent millions on these exercises to streamline the Lahore’s urban development), incorporating environmental considerations (such as EIA), considering alternatives, stakeholders consultation (primarily public as a major stakeholder in a democratic system of governance) then actually going to the ground by engaging contractors as per state’s public procurement laws. Thank you Recommend

Urban Planning is a cohesive and all integrated process. On our urban arteries, we have such bottle necks on every 500 meters. Should we have flyovers all around?. An integrated solution be adopted with improved traffic management and some restrictions on single user vehicles. Doing such public projects on war footings is never advised. This requires, investigating nature and extent of problem, detailed pre- studies, situational analysis, evolving concept design / planning, evaluating project in conformation Lahore Master Plan and JICA studies (as we have already spent millions on these exercises to streamline the Lahore’s urban development), incorporating environmental considerations (such as EIA), considering alternatives, stakeholders consultation (primarily public as a major stakeholder in a democratic system of governance) then actually going to the ground by engaging contractors as per state’s public procurement laws. Thank you Recommend

We can have this under-pass but then we must also do something about having a foot path for pedestrians, bicycle lanes, etc.

I shudder to live in a country where ‘driving (without a license) is a right’ and walking is so hazardous. Also with rising pollution, we must have a ‘green Lahore’ project where we grow trees to act as lungs for this over-flowing city. Recommend

For the last year punjab Goverment abolished all the public trasport by baning vans.Perhaps Lahore is the only city where Public Transport not exists.200 buses for populatio of about 1 crore.Now spending 2 billion rupees on a signal projet because Rich/VIP peoples have to wait foe few minutes?What a Goverance?its really a shamefull wastage of public money in all respects. Recommend

For the last year punjab Goverment abolished all the public transport by banning vans wintout any alternative for common public.Perhaps Lahore is the only city where Public Transport not exists.200 buses for population of about 1 crore.Now spending 2 billion rupees on a signal project because Rich/VIP peoples have to wait foe few minutes?What a Governance?its really a shamefull wastage of public money in all respects.Recommend

Under and over passes have been proven to be failures as they are short term fixes.
Answer is a one time expense of an underground mass transit system or dedicated bus trolley lane system as they have in some European cities. It has to benefit the people in the long term and not the politician in the short term.Recommend

I am an Engineer and I understand the gravity of Traffic problems at Kalma Chowk..But the only way to solve traffic mess is to wait for JICA research project and then look at their proposals….Only after that TEPA, C&W can ask consultants to take up such projects…… Otherwise it will be waste of money…..Recommend

India too faces major problems related to urban development. India has very few planned cities.. New delhi, New Mumbai, chandigarh, bhuvneshwar … I think India need to build much more planned cities like china. It is easy for china to build planned cities as there is no democracy and government is answerable to noone. But that is not excuse for India and goverbnment must develop atleast 10 new planned cities in next 10 years as the urban population growing very quickly.
Thanks.Recommend

Govt of Punjab is looking to put it’s hands in pockets. As do they all. If we are spending 2+ million per the author, why not wait for their review, and ask for an alternative system of transportation such as a/c busses, vans, air train? Why congest the roads further? We need to look to the future and make this city more bareable, not intolerable and polluted. The story is a review of facts with some insight to the past chronologically (somewhat). Instead of wanting to further investigate where your tax rupees are going, people are taking this personally. Educate yourself and engage! Look to the future! Excuse sp, as this was sent from my iPhone.Recommend

I agree with the writer that the only solution of the road-traffic problem in all big cities of Pakistan is to increase public transport and removal of private vehicles. Expanding roads is a short term solution.Recommend

Under and over passes have not been proven failures. Parvez can you provide the non-existent proof for that assertion? Whenever on road i’m glad to see an underpass or flyover ahead of me because it would mean no traffic blocks.
And the writer seems sadly misinformed. There is no way Lahore has only four hundred thousand vehicles. Its absurd to even assume that a city which has a population of about 10 million has such a small amount of vehicles. Lahore very much needs more underpasses and flyovers. The traffic jams are extremely bad at kalma and muslim town chowk especially.
And an underground mass transit system requires way to much money and time, plus there is no space is lahore to build such a thing. It could be built in scarcely populated or planned cities but not lahore.
I live near muslim town chowk and God knows i’ve wasted so much time ono the signals on ferozepur road especially in the afternoon.Recommend

The writer is justified to some extent.
Why dont you people understand that a big populous city like lahore badly needs rapid mass transit rail system and according to feasibility studies, the track has to be built on roads like ferozpur road and multan road. this underpass project may ruin that mass transit project!Recommend

The Article was quite enlightening, although Mr. Rafay has been faced with undue criticism here but one needs to consider that the lahore city is becoming a megalopolis, cluttered, jammed and packed city of residents and unplanned road arteries. The discussion and opinions were great but we need to focus here, only on the government policies of a better transit and planning system rather than bragging around whether that we need an underpass or not. The biggest hurdle is the reduction of cars which in turn will reduce our need to further expand the roads. The example of the canal road should be taken into perspective that although they have widened the roads and developed underpasses, people still face the bottlenecks and in future are planning to further expand the the bottleneck sections on environmental disregard.
Also, government even if has to take such unethical actions, as to develop an underpass at Kalma Chowk should face a responsibility of carbon spending and should relocate at least the same amount of credits to elsewhere green improvement programs. Thanks.Recommend

What people are blind to in general is the need for approaching, understanding and working on the big picture with some patience. Obviously with a severe lack of intelligence and patience, we overlook some of the simplest and most critical aspects of our urban developments. I cross Kalma Chowk at least twice a day and yes I usually have enough time to go over most of my worries (which in itself is a worry). The point is that hasty initiatives which are more “jazbaati” than scientific are dangerous no matter who you are and whether you drive a Cayenne or a CD70. Dont forget the Canal underpass where you exit on the wrong side!! (Ferozepur Road + Jail Road). Isnt it like the doctor who operated on the wrong eye?

I think Rafay (biased or not) wants to bring everyone’s attention to the (lack of) ethics of the whole dilemma of urban abuse. There are laws (remember this word?) and procedures that are made for a reason. We must understand them first and then find an appropriate solution. Although we all know that we have bottlenecks waiting to gobble us up soon after we fly by Kalma Chowk in any direction.

Good bus transport is the only manageable alternative or relief for a poor country and this is a proven fact, but then there are so many basics that we will keep yearning for…forever.

P.S. What are wee going to do when we have a security check on the same road in the near future? Recommend

In a country like ours, where education system has always been neglected…… there comes the results………..everyone speaks their PERSONAL views about a highly technical issue !!! Democracy does not, by any means suggest that laymen will be encouraged to give the solution of every problem, from their personal point of view. as every one has his own view.. the solution will never be reached like this.Better let the Technical forums and Urban Planning Experts, debate on this issue. Atleast their debate will make some sense and add some better stuff into the awaited JICA Report.
I expect the worthy writer to continue highlighting the issues and tolerate the criticism with big heart.. as this is the dilemma of our electronic media…where every one holds a point… just to be critical…… Recommend

i just want to say that its too easy to sit in a.c and write these type of articals……those who cross that signal only those know what the hell is this……….almost 15 to 20 min required to cross that singal signal….i request u MR.WRITER plz be mature and welcome this or this kind of new projects with open mind…….first u start using public transport then say this to others thanx….Recommend

Widening roads is the most temporary solution to traffic blocks, i wish at least literate people would understand that. Let me make it simpler than what Sir Rafay said:
More population = more cars
wider roads = more cars
More population = more cars again
wider roads = again????
and more cars = more pollution
No matter how wide you make a road in 5 years it will be choked again. Example: Lahore Canal Road.

Solution: a good public transport system + literate people not those who will drive taxis in other countries but wont ride a bus in their own land!Recommend

Motorway – waste of money, we should use GT Road. But now most of us prefer to use motorway.

Canal underpasses – waste of money, but we prefer to use as from thoker to Jalo, no stop.

Jail road and main boulevard gulberg should not be widened. but we use it and enjoy it.

Ring road – It is just to copy london and there will be no benefit. ok

Mass Transit system with Japan – Feasibility work started in early 90’s and will continue till late 20’s. but we should wait for its results.

Kala Bagh Dam, feasibility started in early 70’s and still it is a very feasible project but we always criticize

and there are many more examples.

What are we doing? In the first place our government does not want to do anything for public welfare and if they try to do whether with good or bad intentions, we start kay Yai Humari Lashon per say Guzar ker Bunay ga.Recommend

@Eeman:
I think you never climb to your roof as there must be quran in the ground floor or buildings around Kalma chowk should also be demolished as from the top storey, kalama can be seen beneath. what about demolishing of sky scrapers around kaba?Recommend

It’s about time people understand what the rule of law and due process means. the mechanisms exist to protect us the citizens. Ignorant comments above serve only to show that, personal ignorance and display a clear lack of understanding of a problem from multiple dimensions.

The lawyer eventually lost the case, but dear citizens of Lahore, rest assured that it is YOU who loses in the long term.Recommend